Titans players earn a rest from tomorrow's cup action

Rotherham's busy schedule gathers pace over the next few days with another tie at Clifton Lane tomorrow against Ayr in the British and Irish Cup followed by the much more important Championship contest on Tuesday night against Nottingham at Meadow Lane.

The Titans' excellent win by 29-13 over London Welsh in the league on Wednesday afternoon is regarded as a turning point in the Championship season, but coach Andre Bester and skipper Joe Bedford have both warned that it would be foolish to get carried away because significant games still remain and have to be won if the Titans are to finish in the top eight and the promotion play-offs.

Following the victory against London Welsh, Rotherham are still seventh but now have 36 points from 16 games whereas Plymouth, eighth, are on 32 but have played two games more.

Bristol, meanwhile, ninth in the Championship, have also played two more than Rotherham and are on 28 points.

As regards tomorrow's cup tie against Ayr, third in Scottish Premiership 1 and enjoying a good league season with only two defeats in 11 games, Bester will rest almost all the players picked against London Welsh and therefore put out again a side of reserves, several of whom have played in the Championship this season.

After losing both their ties so far in the British and Irish Cup against Llandovery and Pontypridd, Rotherham, bottom of Pool D, will be keen to open their account tomorrow. Looking back on Wednesday's win, skipper Bedford says what impressed him the most was that Rotherham's young side matured:

"The team grew from boys into men. We had control from start to finish in the second half and it was an outstanding performance from one to 15.

"I don't think I have seen us defend with such intensity. We were knocking their players back and that's why London Welsh struggled to make any ground. Now, we've got to show the same character at Nottingham next Tuesday and try to cause an upset.

"The game is being shown live on Sky TV, so Rotherham have a great opportunity to show a national audience what we can do. I am sure our season is going to get better following this performance but we must keep our feet on the ground."

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